Our Go-To Summer Watermelon Recipes
Watermelon is one of those things that you spend the entire winter dreaming about. The sweet messy fruit brings back memories of innocent childhood days, backyard barbecues, fireflies, sweltering nights and unexpected adventures. I think it’s a pretty accurate assumption that it’s nearly impossible to associate watermelon with something bad. It pretty much makes everything better. And no matter what you may have heard in the past, the rumors that these babies are just filled with water and sugar are fast being disproved. Watermelon, even the reddest and juiciest parts of the flesh, is chock full with things that help with cardiovascular health, bone strength and kidney function. Doctors are continuing to prove it as I type. What you also may have not known is that watermelon makes for awesome recipe ingredients for things other than fruit salads, chewing gum and popsicles. The super sweet fruit works well as an accent to a number of savory dishes. Behold salads, sides and entrees with a watermelon twist. Kind of sounds like a dream come true, right?
In this post, we cover a number of recipes that will give you an entirely new view of our favorite summer fruit. Give watermelon new life this summer as you dabble in some of our most beloved concoctions. Get ready to get a little crazy!
Infuse Your Booze
Not to state the obvious right off the bat but infusing your liquor with watermelon can add a certain something to make a seriously awesome cocktail. The process is super easy too. You essentially just put some watermelon in there, let it soak up all the flavor goodness and after that happens, strain out all the fruit. What you’re left with is a scrumptious liquor that will add a certain amount of “yeah” to any mixed drink you want to have fun with this summer. For flavor profile reasons, we recommend sticking with vodka and tequila when it comes to watermelon infused booze. Try your next drink recipe for watermelon margarita with this tasty concoction and you’ll surely be hooked. We’d also recommend any sort of recipes for watermelon and banana beverages.
Caprese Salad – Tomato + Watermelon = Amazingness
Whoever came up with this idea is an absolute genius. Tomatoes and watermelons share a good amount of chemistry when it comes to texture and flavor. Sure, watermelon may be a tad bit sweeter and resemble more of a fruit than its semi-sister but you have to admit, the resemblance is uncanny. They’re sisters from another mister, if you will. It’s for that reason and more that nice slices of watermelon make a beautiful stand-in for the classic Italian salad. I mean, what’s the fun of food if you can’t switch it up every now and again? Thick pieces of watermelon, fresh mozzarella, some s & p, fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic will create a flavor explosion in your mouth like you’ve never known. The watermelon mellows out when the balsamic takes the forefront in flavor and everything just melts together into a gorgeous flavor puddle. But be sure to share! Or make enough of this healthy watermelon recipe for you, yourself and some leftovers for the next day too.
Watermelon Lemonade aka Heaven
We’re not entirely sure why every lemonade isn’t mixed with watermelon, to be completely honest. Lemon and watermelon pair perfectly, with the latter giving the mixture a certain sweetness and refreshing nature that blows all other lemonade combinations out of the water. If you haven’t started to get the hint, watermelon pairs really well with a lot of things. You can get a lot of amazing fresh watermelon drink recipes out there and it’ll pretty much always be a good idea. But back to the recipe. The trick to the perfect 
watermelon lemonade is to actually lay off the watermelon. Sure, the flavor should be at the top but you don’t want it to be too overpowering. We recommend a nice balance of the two fabulous fruits and just a hint of sugar to take the edge of the lemon off. Putting too much sugar could mean a complete disaster to the flavors. Once you’ve gotten everything together and you take that first sip you’re gonna know exactly what we’re talking about. And you’ll never go back to anything else.
Grilled Goodness
Watermelon is a typical feature of barbecues but it wasn’t until another genius had the idea to throw it ON the barbecue that we really got it going on. There’s just something about grilling fruit that makes it even more delicious. It kind of makes you want to scream, “how has this not been a thing before?” There’s especially a certain something that comes from throwing it on a charcoal grill. I don’t know if it’s because of the grill flavors or seasoning of the grate but it’s definitely got a certain je ne sais quoi. Another pointer is to leave the watermelon pieces bigger so they’re easier to handle PLUS you don’t have to worry about them falling through the grates or tearing apart or any of those other disaster situations. There are a lot of grilled watermelon recipes out there but it pairs particularly well with sharp cheeses and salty cured meats. Our personal recommendation is top it with some blue or goat cheese and some prosciutto. Makes for a superb appetizer for you to snack on while you finish the rest of your dinner!
